Jake Chambers (spoiler)

[Amy]

Okay, so I just finished The Dark Tower last night, and I'm having a little trouble with part of it.

If Jake died in the keystone world with he saved Stephen King's life, how could he be in the alternate New York as Eddie's brother at the end of the book?

Thoughts?

[Tamara]

It's an alternate Jake. The point being that there are different worlds. I'm trying to think of a away to explain it that will make more sense instead of less.

Ok basically we met three different Jakes.
The first one was at the way station. He died under the mountain so the second one was an alternative to the first one. He's what would have been if the first one hadn't died in front of the car. but since they come from the same level of the tower they were the same person. The third Jake is from a different level of the tower. This final jake had nothing to do with the tower except once Jake died saving the wordslinger his connection to Susanna was transferred to the alternate universe Jake.

Yeah that still doesn't make sense. ok, lets try it this way. suppose you went to an alternate universe and you met your family and your friends and they recognized you as you. But then you met this alternate worlds version of you. So this person looks, thinks, and sounds like you, but you know it isn't you. It's who you could have been if things had gone just a little differently. That difference could be as little as what the name of the town paper is and the color of your bedroom walls or as big as having an older brother that never existed. That's what the new Jake is. He is who Jake would have been if his life had played out slightly differently. Since he's connected to our Jake when he died the connection to Susannah was transferred to a new Jake. The one that would be the easiest for Susannah to accept, meaning the one that also happens to have Eddie as a brother.

[Amy]

Yeah, but King specifically said that, if someone died in the keystone world, that was it. Since Jake died in the keystone world, no versions of him should still exist.

Are you saying that that Jake isn't actually Jake, but a pseudo-Jake? That's not the impression I got.

[Scott]

Wow TJ, great observations. I think that the reason Jake lives on in the other worlds is because the Jake that died was the Keystone Jake, but the other Jake's would not be effected.

BTW, was anyone else hoping that Susannah would have all of her legs back upon entering the other level of the tower? I was quite disappointed that she did not.

[Richard]

I hoped that Susannah would have all the bones in her body pulled out her face and then set on fire and left to die. I don't like the character of Susannah lol

[Zac]

Scott wrote: "Wow TJ, great observations. I think that the reason Jake lives on in the other worlds is because the Jake that died was the Keystone Jake, but the other Jake's would not be effected.

BTW, was ..."

Still amused with the phrase 'all of her legs back' and couldn't agree more with Richard. Susannah was the burr in this series that just would not go the hell away - no legs or a myriad of them I'd never have liked that character.

[Scott]

Zac wrote: "Scott wrote: "Wow TJ, great observations. I think that the reason Jake lives on in the other worlds is because the Jake that died was the Keystone Jake, but the other Jake's would not be effected. ..."

I guess I didn't know how else to say it. Why did you not like her character? I guess I didn't like the Detta portion of her personality, but other than that, I didn't mind her.

[Zac]

I suppose I don't have any compelling concrete reason to argue against her validity as a character and presence in the series - she just always bothered me. Her storyline constantly struck me as pointless and tangential, her character rather inconsequential and unlikeable. Needless to say, I never connected with her on any level and her continued presence in the series really kept getting in the way of my enjoyment of the series. Even when her character was essential to accomplishing something for the katet or storyline in general I found myself pissed that it meant she'd be sticking around and the focus of any attention by King.

[Scott]

Zac wrote: "I suppose I don't have any compelling concrete reason to argue against her validity as a character and presence in the series - she just always bothered me. Her storyline constantly struck me as p..."


She kind of reminds me of the Diane or Rebecca character on the 'Cheers' series from back in the day... I guess I always saw her as necessary for the story, but a real pain in the a** overall. Much like characters that we love to hate.

[Raymond]

Just think of it this way: In some world, somewhere, lies a Susannah that you'll like. It's Ka. :)